The Secret World’s Fifth Update is Live; ‘End of Days’ Event to be Held During the Apocalypse

The Secret World is prepping for world's destruction with the release of new game content and a special event centered around the Mayan apocalypse.

The fifth content update for Funcom's massively-multiplayer online role-playing game is called The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn, which contains a new story arc featuring the disappearance of a blogger who is the update's namesake, new missions, a new auxiliary weapon, an end-of-the-world event, and a contest for those who participate in the event.

The new story arc centers on Tyler Freeborn and his disappearance following an investigation of strange evens on Solomon island. Players can also a undertake new task in the Shadowy Forest and the Scorched Desert, which include Investigation and Sabotage missions. The new update allows for Investigation missions to be repeated, so players will be able to play through the content ad nauseam. If you prefer new content in the form of weaponry, then the Quantum Brace should be cause for excitement. This auxiliary weapon allows one to warp space and time to damage their enemies, but can also be a boon for healers.

The End of Days event will run from December 21st, 2012 to January 7th, 2013. This event will have players fighting off the undead as Mayan zombies come back to grief the living. On top of the threat of reanimated corpses, three Harbingers will be pimping around, challenging adventurers to defeat them as the herald in the End. And what event would be complete without a Big Bad to fight? To this effect, Funcom is releasing the God of the Nine Underworlds to bring about the planet's doom.

A contest will run during the End of Days event, in which players can earn points by downing the aforementioned monsters and wrenching the sweet loot from their mangled corpses. Those who end up in the Top 1,000 will receive a unique title, while those in the Top 100 will be gifted with an exclusive pet.

For more on this update, check out the official blog and watch the trailer below. Let us know if you'll be ringing in the end by playing The Secret World!